The Apostles Creed (circa 140 AD)
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy comprehensive Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
_________________________________________________________
The Nicene Creed (321 AD)
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe one holy catholic (catholic then meant universal and comprehensive, not the Roman Catholic denomination) and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
_________________________________________________________
The Five Solas of the Reformation
The Five Solas were statements made by churches during the protestant reformation about core Christian doctrines which had become skewed over the years. They wanted to be sure churches would remain faithful to biblical doctrine, and to the mission of Christ. These statements remind us that we are justified by grace through faith in Christ, that scripture is our baseline for constructing our doctrinal framework, and that we exist for the glory of God. Below are the five statements in Latin and in English:
Sola Fide, by faith alone.
Sola Scriptura, by Scripture alone.
Solus Christus, through Christ alone.
Sola Gratia, by grace alone.
Soli Deo Gloria, glory to God alone.
_________________________________________________________
THE PHILADELPHIA CONFESSION OF FAITH, 1742
You can view and/or download a PDF version of the Philadelphia Confession by clicking here.
_________________________________________________________
The Baptist Faith and Message (2000)
The full text of the Baptist Faith and Message, ratified in the year 2000, can be found by clicking here.
_________________________________________________________
New Covenant Fellowship Statement of Faith
The Bible/Holy Scriptures
We believe in the sixty-six canonized and commonly recognized books of the Old and New Testaments which were inspired by God and are without error in their original writings. They are the supreme and final authority in the faith for the church as well as in individual life. The Bible is the only infallible rule of faith and practice (II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:19-21; I Thessalonians 2:13).
The Trinity
We believe in one triune God eternally existing in three persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each person within the Trinity are co-eternal in being, co-equal in power and glory, having identical attributes and perfections, but playing different roles in the divine work of God. God is the creator of all things seen and unseen, and upholds and governs all that exists. His Kingdom is everlasting (Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 43:10-11, Matthew 28:19, Luke 33:22, II Corinthians 13:14).
God the Father
We believe in God the Father, who is perfect in holiness, love, judgment, and wisdom. He was present at creation with the Son and the Spirit, architecting, and affirming the creative work of the Son. He is the authority behind the work of the Son (John 8:28). He is the architect behind the atonement and our regeneration (Isaiah 53:10). From Him, the Son, and the Holy Spirit proceed (Genesis 1:1, 17:1; Isaiah 5:16, 6:3, 43:15; Matthew 11:25; John 6:57, 8:42, 14:16-17, 16:28; Romans 11:17; I John 4:16).
The Person and Works of Jesus Christ, the Son of God
We believe in Jesus Christ who is the eternal, only begotten Son of God the Father. He was present in the beginning with the Father and is the creator and sustainer of all things (John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:16). He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary as fully human and fully God in one person (John 1:2, 1:4; Luke 1:35). In His sinless, perfect life, Jesus met all of the demands of Old Testament Law. We believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that our justification is assured by His literal physical resurrection from the dead, and that His name and work are our sole means of salvation (I Corinthians 15:3-4; I Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; Romans 4:25; Acts 4:12). After His resurrection from the dead, He ascended into heaven where He was exalted at the right hand of God, above all power and dominion. He serves today as our
Messiah-King, advancing God’s reign throughout every generation and throughout the whole world. For the believer, He ministers as our Great High Priest and Intercessor (Acts 1:9-10; Ephesians 1:20-21; Hebrews 4:14, 7:25; 1 John 2:1).
The Person and Works of the Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit who is eternal, and co-equal with the Father and the Son. He is with the Church forever. He teaches and guides Christian believers into all truth. The Holy Spirit gives a variety of gifts and ministries for the common good of the Church. He then guides the church and individual believers in the administration of such gifts and service to the church and the world. The Holy Spirit continues to this day to manifest Himself through the gifts described in Romans 12:6-8, I Corinthians 12:4-11, and Ephesians 4:11-12. The individual “born again” believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, has his individual spiritual life and final redemption guaranteed, and is supernaturally empowered by the Holy Spirit for service to Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 1:16, 16:7-11, 14:26, 16:13; I Corinthians 3:16, 12:4-1; Acts 1:8, 10:19-20, 16:6-7; II Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30).
The Church
We believe that there is one, Universal Church as the Body of Christ, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, the purchased people of God, the bride of Christ. All who repent of their sins and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become part of His Church. The church does not exist as an act of human will or ingenuity but rather, God has commanded it into existence from the New Testament times. The Church is built and established upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. The Church is united in having one Lord, one faith, and one baptism, one God and Father and one Head, Jesus Christ. God has called believers in specific places together into local churches as visible expressions of His Kingdom rule so as to bring the power, life, the character and authority of God into the lives of people (I Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:22-23, 2:19-22. 4:4-6, 5:22-32; I Peter 2:5-10).
The Depravity of Mankind
We believe that man was created in the image of God, both male and female. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell into sin resulting in spiritual and physical death, which is separation from God. All human beings are born into this world with a sinful nature and thus become sinners in thought, word, deed, and nature. Because of our sinful nature and the actions we produce from it, all people are in danger of God’s judgment for sin. We are unable to save ourselves and in need of the salvation offered by Jesus Christ (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:23, 5:14; Ephesians 2:1-3).
Free Will
God created people free and good, but they freely chose to use their freedom to rebel against God. The result of this is that human freedom has been marred by the effects of the Fall to the extent that we now overwhelmingly chose wickedness rather than righteousness in God. Humans are responsible for our own sins, each person incurring his own debt. Each person has the freedom to make his or her own decisions towards actions we perform in our own bodies. The Holy Spirit offers the opportunity for people to repent, changing our principles, priorities, and reasoning by grace through faith in Jesus. This is a work of God in us, restoring what we destroyed in our participation with our first parents in the fall (James 1:12-18; Romans 1-3).
Salvation
We believe that eternal salvation is solely the gift of God and that all who in sincere repentance of their sins believe the Gospel and receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith alone are born again/born anew/regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become part of the family of God. Apart from Jesus Christ, there is no other salvation (John 3:3-5, 14:6; Titus 3:5; Acts 2:38; Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 8:16).
The Second Coming of Christ
We believe that there will be a personal, physical, and imminent return of Christ on earth for His people and a final judgment. Every enemy of Christ and His Church will be thrown into the Lake of Fire, never to lash out in sin again. At that time Christ will set up his throne on Earth forever to rule and reign over all things with His Church at His side. His glory will fill and light up the whole world (Matthew 24:30-31; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20-22).
The Resurrection of the Dead, Final Judgment and Eternal State
We believe that there will be a bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust resulting in the everlasting blessedness of the just and everlasting punishment of the unjust (John 5:28-29; Matthew 25:45; Revelation 20:11-15).
The Kingdom of God
The concept of the Kingdom of God in Scripture refers to the dynamic rule and reign of God over His creation. The Kingdom of God (also called the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew) has a visible and invisible aspect. God rules over all things seen by us and also things we do not see. The Kingdom has a present aspect in that God is ruling presently, but the Kingdom has a future aspect as well in that at Christ’s 2nd coming, His Kingdom rule will be consummated with a final judgment on sin and wickedness. The church is not the same as the Kingdom whereas all people are not believers in King Jesus. Our job as the church is to witness to and proclaim that the rule and reign of God is available to all who choose to recognize it in their lives and turn away from Satan’s kingdom of darkness.
The Fullness, the Gifts, and the Fruit of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the power of God, as given by Christ through the Holy Spirit, is necessary in the life of each believer to effectively live the Christian life. Christians are called to be filled with the Spirit, and can have many experiences of being filled with the Spirit during our lives on Earth. Some refer to these experiences as the Baptism with (or in) the Holy Spirit, the anointing of the Holy Spirit, or simply the filling of the Spirit as we refer to it here. We acknowledge that the gifts of the Spirit, as mentioned in I Corinthians 12-14, continue to be active and available for all believers in the church today as God wills. The fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22) is the outgrowth of Christ within the heart of the believer, and is evidence of true, saving faith.
Ordinances/Sacraments
We believe that God has committed two ordinances (or sacraments) to the New Testament church which we practice. They are:
- Water baptism which is done by complete immersion (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16, Acts 10:47-48). Water baptism represents one’s entrance into he family of God. Baptism does not produce salvation in itself. It is an outer/physical act which signifies that God has done an inner/spiritual change of the heart of the individual being baptized (1 Peter 3:21-22).
- The Lord’s Supper/Communion/Eucharist (Luke 22:14-20; I Corinthians 11:23-29) represents one’s continuance in his or her walk with the Lord. Partaking of the Lord’s Supper does not produce salvation in itself. It is a prescribed remembrance of the Lord’s death and an active participation in His works of grace until He returns.